Skin cancer in New Zealand: the facts and statistics

It’s difficult to get exact numbers on how many New Zealanders are affected by skin cancers each year because only melanoma skin cancers are officially registered. However, Ministry of Health figures for 2008 show in that year there were:

2,256 melanoma registrations (1,180 for males and 1,076 for females)
317 deaths (202 for males and 115 for females) – close to the annual road toll.

The graph below shows the deaths from Melanoma and road crashes between the years 2000 to 2008

While non-melanoma skin cancers are not registered in New Zealand, based on The Cost of Cancers to New Zealand report (2009), it is estimated that approximately 67,000 are treated each year. This makes skin cancer by far the most common cancer affecting New Zealanders. It is also one of the most expensive, costing the health system around $57 million, along with further financial and social costs to sufferers and their families.

Registrations and deaths

In 2008, melanoma was the fourth most commonly registered cancer (accounting for 11% of all registrations) and the sixth most common cause of cancer death (4% of all deaths from cancer).
Male registration rates for melanoma are consistently higher than female rates. In 2008 the male rate was 15% higher than the female rate.
The rate of death from melanoma is also consistently higher for males. It was twice that of females in 2008.
Melanoma was the most commonly registered cancer in men and the second most commonly registered cancer in women in the age group 25 to 44 years.
Melanoma was the second most commonly registered cancer in both men and women in the age group 45 to 64 years.

Ethnicity

In 2008, Maori accounted for 1% of cancer registrations and deaths from melanoma.
There were 23 cases and four deaths among Maori in 2008

Trends over time

Between 1998 and 2008, rates of registration for melanoma showed an upward trend, increasing by 12% and 16% for males and females respectively.

More information: Age-standardised mortality rates across the North and South Island by DHB regions